Is a proposal to build a waste-to-energy/wastewater treatment facility in Newmarket a godsend or a disaster waiting to happen?

Well, it depends on who you talk to.

According to Dale Bishop, president of Canadian wastewater management company Hydra, such a facility promises much.

Newmarket is currently wrestling with millions of dollars in upgrade costs needed to address an anticipated EPA demand that nitrogen output into Great Bay be reduced to a cutting-edge 3 milligrams per liter.

Meeting that mark would require building a new treatment plant at an estimated cost of $18 million versus $13 million.

Not only does Bishop argue that his company's proposal will zero out this cost, but he goes on to tell town officials that a combined facility would generate enough profit to pay for a new junior-senior high school, currently tagged at more than $50 million.

(Editor's note: The offer of a new school is particularly salivating because voters have rejected three previous proposals and the accompanying property tax increases needed to fund the project. Meanwhile, the school is in need of hundreds of thousands of dollars — if not millions — in repairs.)

But there is a fly in the ointment. It comes from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. During a recent hearing, a spokesman told the Newmarket Town Council that DES would need proof that Hydra's proposal would work since it hasn't been proven successful anywhere else. And in order to do that, DES laid out a scenario that would have Newmarket building a state-of-the art wastewater treatment facility that would meet EPA standards and at the same time have Hydra run a pilot program.

But even if the town decided to partner up in this fashion, there are serious concerns among some council members and residents over opening the door to a major waste-to-energy plant at the south end of town.

Unanswered are questions about road and rail access to the site, known locally as the Wilson Farm property. There are also concerns about just how much waste would be handled at the site and any resulting environment issues that might arise. And what of the plant's proximity to sensitive wetlands and the bay?

Finally, what of the 75-25 percent partnership proposal being made by Hydra? As has been pointed out by readers and residents, if the project goes belly up, it appears Newmarket would be stuck for 100 percent of the costs while only owning 25 percent of the facility.

It is easy to argue great benefit sometimes comes with great risk. Such might be the case with Hydra's partnership proposal. But as of now, the great risk being offered to Newmarket by Hydra has very little assurance of paying off — if any at all. And the downside risk is downright scary.

This is not to say the deal is dead.

The Newmarket Town Council commissioned a study from an environmental engineering firm, Wright Pierce. Presented at the public hearing noted earlier in this editorial, the study challenged Hydra to address myriad questions — only a small portion of which are offered here.

Should Bishop choose to return to the council and successfully provide rebuttal there may be a second life for the Hydra plan. Otherwise, it is time for Newmarket to seek answers elsewhere — a course that seems more likely than not at this point in time.